“I’ve known since January,” revealed Eckstein, who is also the founder of the popular fan-servicing Her Universe clothing line. “So it’s been a really hard secret to keep, and I’m just so thankful that I didn’t have to keep it for too long — ’cause when I first started doing Clone Wars back in 2006, I had to keep a secret for two years, so a couple of months is nothing.”

As to where Ahsoka is during this period of the ever-expanding Star Warstimeline, Eckstein revealed she hasn’t seen any scripts yet. But she did reflect on how fans initially reacted to the now-iconic character back when The Clone Wars feature film premiered in 2008.

“It’s been such a rollercoaster to experience that evolution, because we worked on The Clone Wars for two years before the fan even knew about her and [Clone Wars co-creator] Dave Filoni was like: ‘This role is going to change your life.’ And then she comes out and people hate her. I literally remember being in a hotel room, not even leaving my hotel room for the entire day in tears, eating cheesecake. Like, ‘Oh my God, she’s the new Jar Jar,'” the actress says with a laugh.

Thankfully Ahsoka quickly became one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars canon, and her journey led the way for female heroes like Rey in The Force Awakens and Jyn in Rogue One.

“I love Leia and Padme, but Ahsoka was the first lead character that put a lightsaber in girl’s hands,” Eckstein said of her character’s legacy. “I’m honored to be just a member of her team, and it’s something that I do not take lightly and I will continue to be a reflection of her.”